Portrait (full length) of George Washington on horseback. Painting on textile. Patriotic banner in wool and silk on green worsted and natural linen showing George Washington on cream colored charger carrying American flag in left hand and tricorn hat in right hand. Horse is trampling British colors. Washington's face and hands painted. Sequin and gilt thread details throughout. Inscribed below British colors is : "19th October 1781" (commemorating Cornwall's defeat at the Battle of Yorktown.)

First Union banner displayed in Richmond, Virginia when Union troops entered the city, April 3, 1865. Made by Rachel Semon Louis for a fair held in Richmond, Virginia, Sept. 10, 1855. This banner was hidden behind a mirror in Richmond house during the Civil War.

Subject Description

George Washington is depicted riding a cream-colored horse. He is carrying the American flag while his horse tramples on the British flag. The date October 19th, 1781 commemorates the British defeat at Yorktown, the last signifcant battle of the Revolutionary War.

Curatorial Statement

The banner illustrates that some Southerners remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War. The maker, Rachel Semon Louis, was the daughter of a prominent Jewish merchant in Richmond, Virginia. They hid the banner behind a mirror during the war but when Union forces arrived in the city on April 3, 1865, they proudly displayed it on the front of their home.